Join the Fun at the Ride-To-Fly Country Carnival and Silent Auction

For a fun day of activities for kids AND adults, plan to attend the annual Ride to Fly Country Carnival and Silent Auction,  April 24 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Empty Saddle Club, 39 Empty Saddle Road, Rolling Hills Estates.

Admission is free. They’ll be serving hamburgers, vegi-burgers, hot dogs, drinks, chips and cookies for a modest fee. Activities will include a silent auction, raffle, children’s games, pony rides and live country music for dancing and listening by Brian Lynn Jones and the Cowboy Misfits. 

The Ride to Fly folks are inviting everyone to put on their best Country ‘n’ Western attire and come join the fun.

You may have seen Ride to Fly in action here, in the corral at Five Points (where Cinnamon, Ginger Root and Narcissa meet).  Volunteers and students are there several days a week for a few hours, riding in the corral and occasionally, on the streets. 

This all-volunteer, non-profit organization helps adults and children with a wide variety of disabilities to ride horses, an activity that is recognized as beneficial by medical doctors, psychiatrists, physical and occupational therapists, speech therapists, and teachers. Aside from being fun, horseback riding improves balance, muscle tone, strength, range of motion and circulation. Additionally, riders benefit from the increased self-esteem, confidence and coping skills that come from learning to control a horse. Riding also increases the riders’ concentration, patience and discipline.

“It has changed our life,” said one mother, whose daughter has been going to Ride To Fly for eight years. Parents tell of children with very serious physical and mental challenges, who become more verbal, stand taller, walk better and have better physical coordination as a result of being involved with Ride to Fly. Interestingly, the organization sometimes changes the lives of its volunteers, too. But that's a story for another time. Right now, the focus is on the day of fun April 24.

For more information about this terrific organization, check out their website: http://www.ridetofly.com. For a close-up view of what they do, when you see  cars parked beside the corral at 50 Narcissa, stop, lean on the fence and watch for a while. Talk to a few parents or volunteers. I think you'll be impressed. You might even want to lend a hand.